World Rugby's women's chief believes the appointment of Jo Yapp as head coach of the Wallaroos marks a major staging post for the female game ahead of a "generational" World Cup in England next year.
Yapp, a former England women's captain who played at three World Cups, has been coaching since her retirement in 2009.
In 2019 she was appointed director of rugby at Worcester Warriors, for whom she played, and held the post until the club folded in February last year.
Last month, however, she began her reign as boss of the Wallaroos, the Australia women's team.
World Rugby's head of women's rugby, Sally Horrox, hopes Yapp will prove an inspiration to a new generation as the global governing body launches the next phase of the Gallagher High Performance Academy, a leadership programme that started in 2023 with the aim of increasing the number of women in high-profile roles.
"I think it's incredibly important first of all to see one of the leading nations like Australia investing in fulltime roles," Horrox told AFP in London during a conference call video from Los Angeles.
"Also to see a player of the status and profile of Jo, as a leader, to transition into coaching is really encouraging.
"I'm really excited and I'm pleased her talent has been recognised. It's important you see those female leaders represented in the game.
"You see it in Jo, you see it through this programme because when young women, young girls see women like Jo in these roles around the game, it's really encouraging they think the game is for us (women), they think it's something they can be part of."
Horrox added: "When you are talking about coaching the female game – by the way both men and women can be brilliant coaches – but there is some evidence that more women coaches encourages more access for girls... It's really important."
'GAME IS YOUNG'
With the support of Gallagher, a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, officials have set a target of 40 per cent female coaching staff across a 2025 World Cup expanded to 16 teams from 12.
"We can start to see the fruits of our labours coming through," said Horrox. "The (women's) game is young."
The Covid-delayed 2022 World Cup ended with a dramatic final between New Zealand and England, the two superpowers of the women's game, in Auckland, with the hosts edging a thrilling contest 34-31.
Horrox believes the advent of tournaments such as WXV, a three-tiered international competition that started in October, will lead to a tighter World Cup overall.
"The purpose of WXV is to allow us to get more competitive games," she said. "We can see those winning margins narrowing...
"We still have to work hard on preparation for teams that are lower ranked. That will take time. It's not going to be a quick fix by 2025. You've got to think about moving to 2029, then 2033."
Horrox added an off-field goal in the build-up to the 2025 World Cup was "creating an iconic sport with star players", with the Englishwoman saying: "We've been a bit shy of that because of the team-first ethos of rugby."
Another aim for the tournament is to have a sell-out crowd of over 80 000 at Twickenham for the September 27 final.
"I think we are going to have packed stadia," said Horrox. "It's also one of the biggest media markets in the world...
"So the chance to show the noise, the excitement, that sort of generational moment for rugby for the girls, the families, the fans is going to be really special."